【美聯(lián)英語】雙語閱讀：一只讓我悟道的烏龜

1、小編給你一個美聯(lián)英語官方免費試聽課申請鏈接： HYPERLINK http:/ http:/ http:/美聯(lián)英語提供：一只讓我悟道的烏龜Life is good, really good. Sometimes I feel like thegood karma train picked me up, and simply refusesto let me off.生活不錯，很不錯。有時我覺得仿佛坐上了一列善有善報 的列車，想下車都不行。I have an amazing wife, a teenage son that makesme glow with pride, good health

2、, a wonderful familyand the best friends a guy could ask for. I have a lotto be grateful for.我有個人人夸好的妻子，有個給我臉 上增光的十幾歲的兒子，我們身體健康，家庭美滿和睦，還有 一幫世上最棒的朋友。我有好多值得感恩的東西。For many years now, “thank you” has become my meditation as I start each day.多年來，“感 謝老天” 經(jīng)成了我開始每一天的默禱詞。But the truth is, life was not always

3、 this good. It wasnt all that long ago, when the resume ofmy life looked radically different.可是事實上，生活并不總是這么美好。就在不久前，我的 人生簡歷看上去還是迥然不同。At one time, my life was filled with nearly everything people try to avoid.曾經(jīng)一度，我的生活充滿了令 每個人都想躲避的東西。Experiencing everything from unhappy relationships to financial str

4、uggles, poor health,depression, and an endless stream of negative habits was a part of my daily life.從讓人沮喪的婚姻,到困窘的經(jīng)濟狀況， 糟糕的健康，抑郁的心情和無窮無盡的壞毛病，都是我每天生 活的一部分。It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, happiness was constantly eluding me anddisappointment became my shadow.似乎不管我怎么努力，快樂總是躲著我走，而失 望則如影隨形。It

5、also seemed as if I was paving the way for a future that sadly resembled my fathersuntil hetook his own life at the age of 54.而且似乎我在亦步亦趨地把日子過成父親那樣， 他在54歲的時候自殺了。This was a defining moment for me. Once the shock of losing my father began to fade, clarityand a new sense of purpose became the dominant f

6、orce in my life.那一刻成了我人生的轉(zhuǎn)折點，一度失 去父親所受的打擊開始消退，慈善和生活的目標(biāo)感開始支配我 的生活。I remember feeling as if I had “met myself” for the very first time while also becomingconscious of my lifes true purpose.我覺著好像有生以來第一次發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己，認識到了生 命的真正目的。It was in that moment that I had made a major decision. Not only would I change my

7、 own life,but I would also make a difference in the lives of others.從那一刻起，我便做了一個重大決定。我不僅 要改變自己的生活，而且要令別人的生活改觀。Enlightenment and epiphanies can show up in some pretty strange ways. The Buddha found itunder a Boddhi tree, Nelson Mandela in prison and spiritual guru Ram Dass throughpsychedelic drugs.令人

8、茅塞頓開的靈光會以相當(dāng)奇特的方式出現(xiàn)。佛祖在菩 提樹下悟道;納爾遜?曼德拉在獄中覺醒;靈魂大師瑞姆?達; 斯則在致幻劑中獲得升華。Little did I know, mine would arrive in the form of a hard-shelled reptile simply trying to crossthe road - a turtle.我從未曾料到，我的啟示會以一只 試圖穿越馬路的硬殼爬行動物的形象出現(xiàn)，它是一只烏龜。But this wasnt just any turtle, this was the worlds most optimistic one. He

9、was tenaciouslydetermined to cross twenty feet of tar as cars zoomed by at 55 mph.但這可不是一只普通的烏龜，這是世上最樂觀的一只烏龜。 它不屈不撓地打算穿越一條寬20英尺的柏油馬路，路上是川流 不息的以時速55英里行駛的車輛。But today was his lucky day.可是今天是它的幸運日。My wifes quick reflexes not only ensured that “turtle soup” would not be for dinner that night,but her act

10、of kindness would eventually become the foundation for everything I teachtoday.我 妻子的快速反應(yīng)不僅保證了它不會以“烏龜湯”的形式成為今 晚的餐桌一景，而且她接下來的善舉還成就了我今天要講述的 一切的基礎(chǔ)。As unusual as this sounds, the simple act of pulling our car over, removing this little turtlefrom harms way, and placing him back into the wild, caused some

11、thing extraordinary tohappen inside of me.這聽上去要多玄有多玄，一個簡單的將車停到路邊， 把這只小烏龜救離險境并將之歸還給大自然的舉動引發(fā)了我內(nèi) 心深處一場驚天動地的變革。As I stood there holding this tiny creature in my hands, a wave of pure joy came over me. Itwas that warm, teary-eyed sensation that we feel during lifes greatest moments; like falling inlove o

12、r the birth of a child.當(dāng)我站在那里,手捧著這個小生命， 一種純粹的喜悅感席卷了我。那是一種溫暖的催人淚下的感覺， 往往發(fā)生在人生最偉大的時刻，比如墜入愛河，比如嬰兒降生。I honestly felt as if my heart was completely opening up as everything stood still around me. Inno way would I have described it as “enlightenment”, but there was no doubt about ithelpingthis little turt

13、le just felt so damn good! But why? After all, its just a turtle, right?我真的覺得我的心完完全全地向著我周圍靜止的萬物開啟。我 不想把這稱之為“啟示”，但它又千真萬確就是一一幫助這只小 烏龜感覺真是太棒了!可是，為什么會這樣?它終究不過是一只烏龜嘛，是吧?And then it hit me. I finally realized what was happening. At that point, a flood of inspiringthoughts surged through me.然后事情發(fā)生了。我終于明白自己

14、頓悟到了什么。彼時彼刻， 思想的潮水洶涌而至。I walked back to the car, opened my journal and wrote eight words that would later prove to belife changing for me: “kindness creates happiness” and “l(fā)ive a life of kindness”. It was theanswer I had been looking for. The secret to inner peace and lasting happiness was kindness

15、.我走回車?yán)?，打開筆記本，寫下8個字， 事后證明這8個字成為了我的人生轉(zhuǎn)折點：“善生樂”，以及“人 生須行善”。這就是我孜孜以求的答案。內(nèi)心寧靜和永遠快樂的 奧秘就是善?Not “random acts of” or simply being nice, but rather as.a way of life. I had already knownthe benefits of kindness through studying many eastern philosophies, but I had never actuallyconsidered it as a lifestyle.不是

16、“偶爾為之”或簡單發(fā)發(fā)善心，而是變成一 種生活方式。我已經(jīng)通過研究許多東方哲學(xué)知道了善的妙處， 但從沒想過要把它變成一種生活方式。But, this day was just beginning可是，這一天來臨了。Just thirty minutes after my mini-epiphany, my wife and I arrived at our original destinationa country garden show. After walking around for just a few minutes, a gentle faced 60-something look

17、ing man waved me over to the front porch of his farmhouse, for no apparentreason.就在我小小頓悟完畢的30分鐘后，我和妻子到了原定的目 的地，那是一個鄉(xiāng)村花園展覽所。四處走了一小會兒 一個60 歲左右的慈眉善目的男人在他的農(nóng)舍門前向我揮手，好像沒什 么明顯的理由。The entire setting was like a scene out of an old movie - weathered rocking chairs - the smellof cookies baking - and a coon cat

18、 that looked as old as the farmhouse itself. “Let her lookaround, come and sit with me” he said.這一幕完全像是老電影中的場景：老舊的搖椅， 烘烤糕點的氣息，一只看上去和農(nóng)舍一樣老的長毛貓?！白屗S 意走走，你過來坐坐?！彼f，I had no idea what to expect, but as I sunk into the large wicker chair beside him, I couldnthelp feeling that he was going to say somethin

19、g profound.我不知道將要發(fā)生什么，但當(dāng)我坐進他身旁那張寬大的藤 椅里，不由覺得他會對我說些意味深長的話。After all, if a turtle can change my life, why not a wise old farmer? After a brief hello and apolite introduction, we simply sat in silence and let the sunlight warm our faces.畢竟，要是一只 烏龜都能改變我的人生，為什么一個睿智的老農(nóng)不能呢?After what seemed like an eternit

20、y, he finally spoke. “You know” he said, “Ive often thoughtthat the meaning of life is making things a little bit easier for those around us , what do youthink?”.簡單 寒暄之后，我們都靜靜地坐著，陽光溫暖地照著臉龐。好像過 了輩子那么久，他終于開了?！澳闱?，”他說，“我常以為， 生命的意義是讓周圍的人過得好一點，你說呢?”I was speechless. It felt like I had just been hit on the

21、 head again with lifes big karma stick.我啞口無言。 好像腦袋上又挨了人生的一記悶棍。He went on to tell me his version of “the secrets to life” and how “true happiness can only befound by loving and serving others”.他繼續(xù)跟我說起他理解的“人生奧秘”，和“真正的快樂只能從關(guān)愛和服務(wù)他人中獲得Finally he finished with, “oh, and dont forgetyou really gotta love th

22、e one yourewith.yourself ”.最后他說，“喚，別忘了你必須得愛你與之相伴的那個人, 就是你自己”。Life was obviously trying to tell me something. In the days and weeks that followed, the worldlooked completely different to me.顯然，生活會讓我領(lǐng)悟到些什么。隨后的幾天和幾個星期， 整個世界在我眼中完全變了模樣。The more I studied and tested my “kindness creates happiness” theory,

23、 the more I was blownaway by its life-changing power.我越是研究和驗證我的“善生 樂”理論，我越是為它那改變?nèi)松牧α克鶅A倒。I realized that most of my disappointments in life were simply because I had been unkind toothers and especially to myself.我發(fā)現(xiàn)生活中 絕大多數(shù)失望都是源于我對別人的不善，尤其是對自己的不善。After spending much of my life thinking “whats in it

24、for me”, my new inner mantra became; “Am I being kind?”. This one simple question changed my life. So, whenever I feel the need todisagree with my wife, lash out at a rude employee in the mall or even before I shove tencookies into my mouth, I go within and ask; “am I being kind?”. These four little

25、 words havebecome my source to inner peace.花了大半輩子琢磨人生的意義，我的新靈魂咒語變成，“我 有沒有為善?”這個簡單的問題改變了我的生活。當(dāng)我想和妻子 爭論的時候，當(dāng)我想對粗魯?shù)纳痰晔圬泦T訓(xùn)斥的時候，甚至當(dāng) 我想往嘴巴里狂塞餅干的時候，我都會自問，“我有沒有為善廣 這幾個字成為我內(nèi)心平靜的源泉。It has created many positive changes in me such as recycling and acting more “green” andconsciously respecting all of life. I even stopped setting the mousetraps in the garage. (Mywife is going to kill me when she reads that last one).它在我內(nèi)心生出許多好的變 化，比如循環(huán)再利用資源，做環(huán)保人士，而且有意識地尊重一 切事物。我甚至不再在車庫里安置捕鼠器(我妻子要是讀到這 最后一句可能會殺了我)。Another big change in my life was the irresistible urge to perform “